FEBRUARY is traditionally a celebration of BLACK HISTORY. I've decided to do a series of reviews…read moreeach day honoring Black-Owned Businesses and/or places with significant Black History. I gained so much knowledge writing this series in 2021 that I wanted to continue it in 2022! When you think about it, for such a small percentage of the overall population of the United States, we have greatly influenced nearly every aspect of American life, from her laws & practices (good and bad) to her food & music, to her sports & greatest inventions. Even the boundaries of states were influenced. My hope is to highlight the places, people and events that have and continue to shape our country and communities. Next on this months journey is the oldest standing African-American Church in the state of North Carolina. [ ST. PHILIPS AFRICAN MORAVIAN CHURCH ] Old Salem is truly an amazing corner of the world. Time has been well preserved here & anyone who appreciates history will find themselves in historic heaven. The historic village is loaded with REALLY old buildings, many dating back to the 1700's. But of all the buildings, the St. Philips African Moravian church is the one I want to feature in detail. St. Philips is the oldest African-American Church still standing in the State of North Carolina & one of the oldest in the nation. As I walked around the property, I was captivated by the grave sites. Most had no names, instead only offering one word descriptions like "Child" or "Adult". It wasn't always segregated; both blacks & whites were part of the same church service. History tells us the racist attitudes of some of the people living in the area demanded the leaders of the church to not congregate together with blacks. While white Moravians did indeed own slaves, they were largely considered as equals in church. Not only did they do church together, they also buried their deceased together as one congregation & schooled their children together as well. But pressures of the time changed all that when a state law banished educating slaves. Adding to the call for segregation was the desire of the black members to have more lively meetings without restraint, which most likely meant they wanted to sing, shout & dance as the spirit moved them! This was something that seemed to disturb the white congregations pastor. Old church documents indicated that he didn't like "noisy church gatherings." What made me laugh about this piece of history is it's largely still that way today! Black churches are indeed a lively place! The African-American church split from the main church around 1822. Growth was slow but found itself needing to expand in the 1861 and built a brick church on the properly of a small cemetery. This would be their second location after having moved from a smaller log cabin church. In the 1890's, limited growth space caused them to build an extension onto the 1861 brick church right over a section of the graveyard! I found that to be alarming, but I suppose they had no choice. The congregation used the church all the way up until the 1950's. Part of the history of the church was on Sunday, May 21st, 1865, a Union soldier (Calvary Chaplin) announced the freedom of the slave community of Salem from the pulpit of this building. According to the church website, it was known as "The Slave Church" until December 1914, when Bishop Edward Rondthaler bestowed upon them the name of St. Philips Moravian Church. It is now 192 years old and one of (if not thee) oldest African-American congregations in the United States. At some point, the congregation took the time to go through the church records and find out about as many of the grave sites as possible. Names were added to graves when possible & a large monument sign at the base of the church was dedicated to ALL the names/graves found. IT TOUCHES MY HEART to see dignity given back to a people who were granted none. video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkyE191R2CY audio - https://beta.prx.org/stories/90254 Graveyard History - https://www.ourstate.com/old-salem-graveyard/ [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Truly a must see for your American History education! Be sure to check out the historic log church located on property. In the Early 2000's, the Southern & Northern branches of the Moravian Counsel wanted to accept responsibility for the role the church played in slavery and issued a statement that you can read here: https://christmoravianchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/a-statement-on-racism-and-the-church-1998.pdf The statement basically acknowledges many areas of the church that lacked inclusion and ended with this final sentence: "Thus the church shall practice racial inclusion in every area of its congregational and denominational life; and individual Christians and congregations shall work actively to identify and eliminate the patterns of discrimination both within the church and within society at large." Amen! Now let's get to work! 2022 / 37

Just started attending service recently and we really enjoy it. It is a community full of welcoming…read moreand free thinking individuals. We were instantly welcomed and already feel right at home with the UU

From the owner: We aim to grow spiritually, care for each other and the earth, and work for peace and justice.read more

Great service. BUT.....They stuff you in like sardines. Visited with my mom, while we were in town…read more My mom is disabled and uses a cane and there wasn't an area for handicapped or disabled people. It's very crowded and I don't think it was the safest place for her. Even at church people will rush passed an elderly person.

Beyond amazing. This church changed my life completely. Everything about the way it is orchestrated…read moreis just incredible.

This is a wonderful community serving God in tremendous ways. We just moved from California to NC…read moreand can already tell that this church is moving mountains with their faith, connectedness, and giving. Great band, creative visuals/graphic design to help connect you to the message, and sincere (we love his humor!) pastor. Makes coming to church feel like coming home. :)

In my younger years I traveled with a Christian musical group and saw hundreds of churches over a…read more15 year period. This is the best example of the "New Testament Church" I have ever experienced. These days, in which we now live, it is rare to see an evangelical church which is thriving and growing. In addition to having multiple services each weekend, The Summit Church has two, and soon to be three, church campuses. God is growing His Church through The Summit. I thank God every day for Pastor Jonathan and all the folks at The Summit Church.